Ukraine’s presidential office said a Russian drone strike killed six people in the Kharkiv region, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to pause refinery attacks in return for 30 days of U.S. air-defense support.
President Donald Trump criticized Zelenskyy’s negotiating approach on Monday, saying Russia had been “fine on Ukraine” in remarks recorded by PBS News Hour. A day earlier, Trump said peace efforts were advancing and argued that new penalties could push Moscow away from negotiations.
Trump’s Oct. 16 executive order waives sanctions and duties under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which he signed Sept. 18. Earlier U.S. sanctions on Russia remain in place, and the order sets no fixed date for ending the waivers. The order continues Trump’s earlier defense of the sanctions waiver.
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, Zelenskyy warned that U.S. backing for Moscow would be a “historic mistake.” His office said he spoke with U.S. envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Oct. 18 about previous U.S.-Ukraine talks and further diplomacy.
Zelenskyy said the Kharkiv strike was Russia’s response to sanctions waivers and reduced pressure. His office reported that a mother and her child were among the six people killed.
Speaking to U.S. lawmakers, Zelenskyy said Ukraine could suspend attacks on Russian oil refineries for 30 days if Washington supplied Patriot interceptors to help defend Ukrainian airspace over that period. His office said Kyiv had not received agreement to the proposal.
